Soft Targets/Gun Grabbers/The Shriek's For More Gun laws/Groundhog Day in Reverse.

It's almost impossible these days in America to recall all the mass shootings this Country has endured. Granted, some were so horrific the place's are recalled but the names of the victims and the perpetrators are mostly lost to history for most folks, other than those who were personally touched by the horror. In 2018 there were 323 incidents of mass shootings in the United States in which 4 or more people, excluding the perpetrator, are shot in one location roughly at the same time. The numbers are numbing and far surpass the American casualties engaged in combat, 323 incidents, 387 dead and 1,274 wounded.

Chicago led the nation again in 2018 in these types of shootings, registering 23 separate incidents of mass shootings. The City's final tally from mass shootings alone were 18 dead and 122 wounded. On August 5th alone last year, 25 people were wounded and 2 killed in 5 mass shootings in an 8 hour period. Twenty 23 incidents that barely made the news outside of the city but to be sure a steady roaring stream of terror for a City that seems to have no clue except to try and lay blame and call for more gun control, the calls go on and on and on, and the violence keeps repeating.

The latest incident in Aurora could finally bring some action on keeping guns away from those who should not have them. A vivid teaching moment for those who are always so quick to get before cameras and start howling about gun control and more gun laws. The Aurora shooter was a convicted felon who BY LAW was not allowed to possess or own a hand gun, a great LAW that even the NRA is in total agreement with. However, as with most laws, Criminals do not pay the slightest bit of attention to them. When he initially applied for a Firearms Owners Identification card (FOID) from the State of Illinois for some inexplicable reason his past criminal history did not show. He immediately purchased a weapon, the one that was used in the Aurora shooting.His next step was to apply for a "License" to carry permit.

It wasn't until this next step that his Felony conviction popped up. His FOID card was immediately revoked and of course his license to carry was rejected, FINALLY. The system and the Law one might say, half worked, except we now learn that the State has no mechanism to retrieve the gun already in his possession. The State authorities have released a statement saying they have no funding to cover retrieval. It seems a simple phone notification to the local Police jurisdiction was to much for some bureaucrat, who no doubt was front and center howling and bellowing for more gun laws.Day after day, most especially in Cook County, Gun offenders are released at alarming rates, either ankle monitoring or Bonds so low that it's almost insane.

It is no surprise that politicians and other so called gun grabbers are met with fierce resistance every time they start pontificating about taking guns away and adding more laws, when the ones already on the books are at times totally ignored. There are an estimated 375 millions guns in the United States, maybe more, and one thing is certain for sure, a Criminal is going to possess a gun if they choose too, to suggest or argue otherwise is to renounce all reason, and efforts to try reasoning, is like administering medicine to the dead. The second amendment is never going away, it's a fantasy to think that it is, and most certainly the 375 million or so guns that are already out there are not going to be confiscated by a Government where human nature is the flaw in the system, which so vividly displayed with the Aurora shooter. It was all in place, he should never had had a gun but he did.

The Ground Day analogy I use to stress how these horrific incidents keep happening without any positive change takes a complete turn for Law Enforcement. If you recall the last two incidents in Chicago and Aurora 7 Police Officers were shot, one killed and six more wounded. If we reviewed the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas slaughter in Parkland Florida last year where 17 people were killed and many more wounded, not one Police Officer suffered any injury. In my opinion there is a reason for that.

The Gunman Niklos Cruz when he finally ran out of ammunition he calmly changed his shirt and slipped out of the school undetected. For many years, I was the Swat C/O of the Chicago Police Department. Prior to that I was a Tactical Sergeant in the same unit "Hostage Barricade Terrorist" for 10 years. We were taught all there was to know about incidents that involved active shooters and terrorists. Swarm teams, that use explosives to breach entries, sharpshooters to operate under restraint, explosives and many other training methods we learned from the Israelis, and for me the Marine Corps was also a benefit.

Without getting too technical we also had trained negotiators who spoke just about any language imaginable. The idea was always better to talk than shoot, if possible rather than confront a shooter(s). However this all changes when the shooter(s) are inside and the slaughter is live. At the Parkland incident the school officer did not try and confront the shooter, he and other officers were told to stand down and take positions outside the school. NO POLICE OFFICERS INJURED. Shooter gets away, at least for an hour.

This did not happen in Aurora last week and it did not happen in Chicago at Mercy Hospital last year, forgive me for saying, one Police Officer dead and 7 Police Officers wounded. Nine dead civilians in both incidents but imagine the death toll if those shooters would not have been engaged by the police. In my opinion it points out that the time for talking has long since past. People who are armed with weapons and commit crimes and show violent behavior must be dealt with and be held accountable and punished. The shriek's for more new Laws and calls for gun control are a complete failure. The scene below in this photo is just happening way to much in this country. Stop talking and wise up.

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Meet The Blogger

Bob Angone

Bob Angone is a former Marine and a retired Chicago Police Lieutenant. He worked his entire Career covering the streets of Chicago as a Tactical Officer,Tactical Sergeant and Tactical Lieutenant. His last assignments were in special Functions ,he was the C/O of the CPD Swat teams his last five years and was an HBT (Hostage Barricade Terrorist) Sergeant for 10 years.